So it’s been two full weeks now of my carefree and indulgent life as a full-time stay-at-home-mom with no actual kids to take care of, all day long. Whee! It’s been great, but also it is becoming very clear to me that I need some structure in my day.
It is just too easy to fall down the black hole of The Internets and then BAM, next thing you know it’s six hours later and all you’ve done is read blogs and look up things in Wikipedia. Meanwhile, the breakfast dishes are still on the table, I haven’t eaten anything since 7 a.m. and I still have to drive the 800 meters to the school because I haven’t left myself enough time to walk. EEP.
Here are some things I absolutely need to find time for (and yet, have not found time for, despite having six hours a day to throw around):
- Work – I have about six money-making ventures on the go, all with various deadlines
- General household upkeep – including things like dishes, laundry, groceries
- Errands – I need at least one day a week to run around and do things like the library, or natural foods store, or Christmas shopping, etc.
- Exercise – seriously, or I will be dead in two years from complete body atrophy
That’s the minimum. I’d also like to find time for:
- Baking – so my poor allergic children don’t have to go to school with nothing but applesauce and carrot sticks every day
- Personal writing projects – I have about four book ideas I have been “meaning to get to,” as well as making more blog books
- Bigger house projects – like cleaning out every kitchen cupboard, clearing at least one layer of crap out of the kids’ rooms (shhhhhh), cleaning the windows (SHUDDER – they are like little squares of horror, anyone have any tips?)
- Having in-person conversations with other adults – oh, how easy it is to just stay home and disappear into my computer all day long, but then I’m like a freakish zombie/ogre when I finally see daylight
- Volunteering – I’d love to be able to do more at the kids’ school
Progress report so far: Watched several movies, learned a bunch of stuff from Wikipedia, blogged.
FAIL.
So, yes, I feel a schedule is in order. Some work time, some play time, some chores time, in a nice balance.
I’ll probably get around to making one on…maybe Tuesday? or Wednesday? These movies aren’t going to watch themselves, you know.
TurtleHead 
The kids have been back in school for 9 days so far…I think that after 10 years of having children with you at home you deserve at least 9 days to yourself!
It’s easy for me to lose time sitting in front of the computer, but I’ve learned that an unproductive day makes me feel crummy…and so guilty. It takes some trial and error but when you come up with a structure that allows you to both accomplish stuff and have some “free” time, you’ll feel great about how you are spending your days. On the weekend I take a few minutes to see what my obligations are for the week, what errands and house work need to be done and I plan a daily “schedule” around those things for myself. It keeps me on track (for the most part), and I have fewer days where I feel things have been unbalanced.
I actually make a schedule with the kids – what they need to do when, and what I need to do when (and yes, my husband is on the schedule too with his stuff). So our “baking” gets done on Sunday when the kids are around to help and participate, for example. Same thing with household upkeep – get the kids involved! Take *your* time during the day for things that only *you* can do, like your businesses, adult social time and exercise. By the way – a tip for exercise – if you are leaving the house in the morning to take the kids to school, just keep going after that for your exercise. It’s a lot easier than leaving the house, coming back, and then heading out again…. Once you’re out of the house in the morning, just keep moving…
OMG Lynn, how I can related to this. I have been working from home w/o kids here for quite a few years now. I go out for my shoots, but spend a lot of hours home during the week editing photos.. and ok, surfing the net.
I can’t say I have the best routine, but it has gotten better. I found making myself do a few chores in the house BEFORE I got on- line helped. I found scheduling exercise outside of the house a few days a week, that I had paid for ahead of time helped, ’cause I went. I found making one coffee date a week with another grownup was a life saver. (and i’m available for that, if you are interested!) these things had to be part of my routine and that way, they happened!
good luck…… you will get there!
wow see and I thought staying home would mean you had it all going on! It almost makes me glad to know we are all in the same boat, SAHM or WOHM. 🙂
I work full time and have several volunteer obligations that feel like they require full time hours plus all the other grown up nonsense we have to deal with and even I can still “misplace” more hours in a day then I care to admit. That being said… schedules are good. And I’d totally meet you for coffee if not for the 8 hour commute.